BOOK COVER -- TITLE -- COPYRIGHT -- CONTENTS -- CHAPTER 1: THE BEGINNINGS OF CHINESE HISTORY -- INTRODUCTION -- PREHISTORY -- EARLY HUMANS -- NEOLITHIC PERIOD -- CLIMATE AND ENVIRONMENT -- FOOD PRODUCTION -- MAJOR CULTURES AND SITES -- INCIPIENT NEOLITHIC -- THE FIRST HISTORICAL DYNASTY: THE SHANG -- THE ADVENT OF BRONZE CASTING -- THE SHANG DYNASTY -- CHAPTER 2: THE ZHOU AND QIN DYNASTIES -- THE HISTORY OF THE ZHOU (1046-256 BC) -- THE ZHOU FEUDAL SYSTEM -- SOCIAL, POLITICAL, AND CULTURAL CHANGES -- THE DECLINE OF FEUDALISM -- URBANIZATION AND ASSIMILATION -- THE RISE OF MONARCHY -- ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT -- CULTURAL CHANGE -- THE QIN EMPIRE (221-207 BC) -- THE QIN STATE -- STRUGGLE FOR POWER -- THE EMPIRE -- CHAPTER 3: THE HAN DYNASTY -- DYNASTIC AUTHORITY AND THE SUCCESSION OF EMPERORS -- XI (WESTERN) HAN -- DONG (EASTERN) HAN -- THE ADMINISTRATION OF THE HAN EMPIRE -- THE STRUCTURE OF GOVERNMENT -- THE ARMED FORCES -- THE PRACTICE OF GOVERNMENT -- RELATIONS WITH OTHER PEOPLES -- CULTURAL DEVELOPMENTS -- CHAPTER 4: THE SIX DYNASTIES AND THE SUI DYNASTY -- POLITICAL DEVELOPMENTS DURING THE SIX DYNASTIES -- THE DIVISION OF CHINA -- THE ERA OF BARBARIAN INVASIONS AND RULE -- INTELLECTUAL AND RELIGIOUS TRENDS DURING THE SIX DYNASTIES -- CONFUCIANISM AND PHILOSOPHICAL DAOISM -- DAOISM -- BUDDHISM -- THE SUI DYNASTY -- WENDI'S INSTITUTIONAL REFORMS -- INTEGRATION OF THE SOUTH -- FOREIGN AFFAIRS UNDER YANGDI -- CHAPTER 5: THE TANG DYNASTY -- EARLY TANG (618-626) -- ADMINISTRATION OF THE STATE -- FISCAL AND LEGAL SYSTEM -- THE PERIOD OF TANG POWER (626-755) -- THE "ERA OF GOOD GOVERNMENT" -- RISE OF THE EMPRESS WUHOU -- PROSPERITY AND PROGRESS -- MILITARY REORGANIZATION -- LATE TANG (755-907) -- PROVINCIAL SEPARATISM -- THE STRUGGLE FOR CENTRAL AUTHORITY -- CULTURAL DEVELOPMENTS -- THE INFLUENCE OF BUDDHISM -- TRENDS IN THE ARTS -- SOCIAL CHANGE.

DECLINE OF THE ARISTOCRACY -- POPULATION MOVEMENTS -- GROWTH OF THE ECONOMY -- CHAPTER 6: POLITICAL DISUNITY BETWEEN THE TANG AND SONG DYNASTIES -- THE FIVE DYNASTIES AND THE TEN KINGDOMS -- THE WUDAI (FIVE DYNASTIES) -- THE SHIGUO (TEN KINGDOMS) -- BARBARIAN DYNASTIES -- THE TANGUT -- THE KHITAN -- THE JUCHEN -- CHAPTER 7: THE SONG DYNASTY -- BEI (NORTHERN) SONG (960-1127) -- UNIFICATION -- CONSOLIDATION -- REFORMS -- DECLINE AND FALL -- NAN (SOUTHERN) SONG (1127-1279) -- SURVIVAL AND CONSOLIDATION -- RELATIONS WITH THE JUCHEN -- THE COURT'S RELATIONS WITH THE BUREAUCRACY -- THE CHIEF COUNCILLORS -- THE BUREAUCRATIC STYLE -- THE CLERICAL STAFF -- THE RISE OF NEO-CONFUCIANISM -- INTERNAL SOLIDARITY DURING THE DECLINE OF THE NAN SONG -- SONG CULTURE -- CHAPTER 8: THE YUAN, OR MONGOL, DYNASTY -- THE MONGOL CONQUEST OF CHINA -- INVASION OF THE JIN STATE -- INVASION OF THE SONG STATE -- CHINA UNDER THE MONGOLS -- MONGOL GOVERNMENT AND ADMINISTRATION -- RELIGIOUS AND INTELLECTUAL LIFE -- YUAN CHINA AND THE WEST -- THE END OF MONGOL RULE -- CHAPTER 9: THE MING DYNASTY -- POLITICAL HISTORY -- THE DYNASTY'S FOUNDER -- THE DYNASTIC SUCCESSION -- GOVERNMENT AND ADMINISTRATION -- LOCAL GOVERNMENT -- CENTRAL GOVERNMENT -- LATER INNOVATIONS -- FOREIGN RELATIONS -- ECONOMIC POLICY AND DEVELOPMENTS -- POPULATION -- AGRICULTURE -- TAXATION -- COINAGE -- CULTURE -- PHILOSOPHY AND RELIGION -- FINE ARTS -- LITERATURE AND SCHOLARSHIP -- CHAPTER 10: THE EARLY QING DYNASTY -- THE RISE OF THE MANCHU -- THE QING EMPIRE -- POLITICAL INSTITUTIONS -- FOREIGN RELATIONS -- ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT -- QING SOCIETY -- SOCIAL ORGANIZATION -- QING SOCIETY -- STATE AND SOCIETY -- TRENDS IN THE EARLY QING -- CHAPTER 11: LATE QING -- WESTERN CHALLENGE 1839-60 -- THE FIRST OPIUM WAR AND ITS AFTERMATH -- THE ANTIFOREIGN MOVEMENT AND THE SECOND OPIUM WAR ( ARROW WAR) -- POPULAR UPRISING.

THE TAIPING REBELLION -- THE NIAN REBELLION -- MUSLIM REBELLIONS -- EFFECTS OF THE REBELLIONS -- THE SELF-STRENGTHENING MOVEMENT -- FOREIGN RELATIONS IN THE 1860S -- INDUSTRIALIZATION FOR "SELF-STRENGTHENING" -- CHANGES IN OUTLYING AREAS -- EAST TURKISTAN -- TIBET AND NEPAL -- MYANMAR (BURMA) -- VIETNAM -- JAPAN AND THE RYUKYU ISLANDS -- KOREA AND THE SINO-JAPANESE WAR -- REFORM AND UPHEAVAL -- THE HUNDRED DAYS OF REFORM OF 1898 -- THE BOXER REBELLION -- REFORMIST AND REVOLUTIONIST MOVEMENTS AT THE END OF THE DYNASTY -- SUN YAT-SEN AND THE UNITED LEAGUE -- CONSTITUTIONAL MOVEMENTS AFTER 1905 -- THE CHINESE REVOLUTION (1911-12) -- CHAPTER 12: THE EARLY REPUBLICAN PERIOD -- THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE REPUBLIC (1912-20) -- EARLY POWER STRUGGLES -- CHINA IN WORLD WAR I -- INTELLECTUAL MOVEMENTS -- THE INTERWAR YEARS (1920-37) -- BEGINNINGS OF A NATIONAL REVOLUTION -- REACTIONS TO WARLORDS AND FOREIGNERS -- STRUGGLES WITHIN THE TWO-PARTY COALITION -- THE NATIONALIST GOVERNMENT FROM 1928 TO 1937 -- CHAPTER 13: THE LATE REPUBLICAN PERIOD AND THE WAR AGAINST JAPAN -- THE EARLY SINO-JAPANESE WAR -- PHASE ONE -- PHASE TWO: STALEMATE AND STAGNATION -- RENEWED COMMUNIST-NATIONALIST CONFLICT -- THE INTERNATIONAL ALLIANCE AGAINST JAPAN -- U.S. AID TO CHINA -- CONFLICTS WITHIN THE INTERNATIONAL ALLIANCE -- PHASE THREE: APPROACHING CRISIS (1944-45) -- NATIONALIST DETERIORATION -- COMMUNIST GROWTH -- EFFORTS TO PREVENT CIVIL WAR -- CIVIL WAR (1945-49) -- A RACE FOR TERRITORY -- THE TIDE BEGINS TO SHIFT -- COMMUNIST VICTORY -- CHAPTER 14: ESTABLISHMENT OF THE PEOPLE'S REPUBLIC -- RECONSTRUCTION AND CONSOLIDATION, 1949-52 -- THE TRANSITION TO SOCIALISM, 1953-57 -- RURAL COLLECTIVIZATION -- URBAN SOCIALIST CHANGES -- POLITICAL DEVELOPMENTS -- FOREIGN POLICY -- NEW DIRECTIONS IN NATIONAL POLICY, 1958-61 -- READJUSTMENT AND REACTION, 1961-65 -- CHAPTER 15: CHINA SINCE 1965.

THE CULTURAL REVOLUTION, 1966-76 -- ATTACKS ON CULTURAL FIGURES -- ATTACKS ON PARTY MEMBERS -- SEIZURE OF POWER -- THE END OF THE RADICAL PERIOD -- SOCIAL CHANGES -- STRUGGLE FOR THE PREMIERSHIP -- CONSEQUENCES OF THE CULTURAL REVOLUTION -- CHINA AFTER THE DEATH OF MAO -- DOMESTIC DEVELOPMENTS -- INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS -- RELATIONS WITH TAIWAN -- CONCLUSION -- GLOSSARY -- FOR FURTHER READING -- INDEX -- BACK COVER.